vRealize Automation 7.0 Announced

vRealize Automation 7.0 has been announced during VMworld Barcelona 2015. It's the core part of the SDDC. vRA is in the middle of the stack between virtualized infrastructure and the end user applications. It gives an opportunity to have self-provision infrastructure with apps, spanned across multiple hypervisors, multiple types of clouds.

vRealize Automation (vRA) 7 brings simpler deployment options where HA deployment is assured with only two appliances. VMware Identity Management (vIDM) is part of the game where it's now embedded (not separate appliance), and also new simplified Converged Blueprint Designer (CBP). I was never much into vRA, but this version really picks my curiosity and I definitely will check it out.

vRealize Automation 7.0 – What's new?

Architecture changes – there is fewer services to deploy and fewer VA's to manage with fewer external dependencies. All services are automatically clustered when deployed in HA configuration.

To deploy HA architecture now only 2 appliances are necessary, but the installer starts with single OVA. Then you have a choice between simple install or Enterprise install (for setting up 2 HA instances – fully distributed install).

The wizard detects available hosts and allows to chose and assign different roles… (note that the machine discovery needs management agent to be pre-installed). There is also a standalone pre-req checker available.

Possibility to roll back… all wizard driven. The time to install is like 15-20 min only…

Per-Tenant Branding!

Converged Blueprints (CBP)

On the left you chose the category, and within the category you chose what you'll drag on the the canvas.. App services which has been separate appliance, is now incorporated into the blueprint designer.

NSX consuming is simpler by drag and drop and especially having the possibility to see the view of what's built.

Extensibility

LifeCycle Extensibility – centralized policy management.

Event broker it looks for events in the event box, an a trigger.

An external solution (already used by customer) can be used for governance and approvals too. This external solution is solution that client has already invested probably some big money. The policy management can ask for an approval this external product and then continue the workflow.

About Vladan SEGET

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